Memorandum submitted by David Hawkins
I am an environmental researcher and occasional
journalist, working primarily for a private foundation. I spend
a lot of time reading about issues such as these. I am afraid
I do not have time to write a detailed response to the questions
posed by the EAC. However, I would just like to note my concerns
about this fuel source.
Biofuels clearly have a part to play in the
UK and EU energy mix, but it can only be a small part if the current
trends continue. 1st generation biofuel production risks taking
up too much space, increasing food prices and invading set-aside
land which is vital to ecosystems and wildlife. The environmental
dangers of intensively farmed monocultures are clear and well-established.
If things are managed wrongly we risk getting ourselves into a
bad cycle or energy trap which it will be very hard to emerge
from, and which may be just as severe as the threat of peak-oil.
There should be regulation for the entire carbon
cycle of biofuels, and as much space as possible should be made
for innovation in this field.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil seems
to have had some success in mitigating the damage in Indonesia
and Malaysia. But we cannot underestimate the scope of this problem
in global terms. Last year's report by Wetlands International
and Delft Hydraulics showed the impact of deforestation (largely
for oil palm plantations) in that region. Carbon emissions form
deforestation and draining peatlands represent a huge proportion
of global figures (some estimates as high as 20%). The Roundtable's
size and membership needs to be increased, and alternative sources
need to be sought. Planting in Indonesia should be restricted
to degraded land—anymore forest loss is not affordable for
the global environment.
Industrial and consumer awareness about the
nature and provenance of their biofuels must be raised. The British
government should come down hard against unsustainable sources
of biofuels and be realistic about their role in Britain. What
we need are long-term solutions to climate change, not short-term
cosmetic cover-ups.
As always, we should beware the emergence of
large monopolies.
Finally, much more funding and resources should
be allotted to R&D for 2nd and 3rd generation biofuels, which
stand to be far less damaging to the environment while achieving
a superior rate of energy conversion. The sooner these can be
made economic and commercially viable the better.
1 October 2007
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